Saxo Bank's Fuglsang hoping to ride into form

Saxo Bank rider Jakob Fuglsang is having problems finding form this year after coming off a strong 2009 season. Last year the young Dane won the Tour of Slovenia and Denmark, found himself on the podium in three stages of the Vuelta a España, his first ever Grand Tour, and finished off his year with a second place in the Giro dell'Emilia behind Dutchman Robert Gesink.

Over the winter Fuglsang experienced problems with inflammation in his knee, but for the past month he's been able to train without restrictions. At the team's training camp on the Spanish Island of Fuerteventura, reports said that the 24 year old was going better than expected.

"At training camp in Fuerteventura I rode beyond all expectations and I could not explain why it went so well. But since I've fallen into a rut," he explained to sporten.dk.

Now Fuglsang is anxiously awaiting a test tomorrow in the one-day Italian race Giro del Friuli.

"I can see the problem when I look at my power meter. I don't put out enough watts compared to my pulse, and it is very frustrating," he continued.

Last year he decided to sign for Team Saxo Bank until 2012, admitting that he could have earned more elsewhere but felt staying where he was would be best for his career.

“I have been happy to race with the team and I believe that here I have the best development opportunities,” he told the Jyllands-Posten newspaper at the time. “I could certainly earn more at another team, but the new agreement with Team Saxo Bank is still much better than the one I signed for one and a half years ago. I have weighted the development [potential] higher than economic.”

He's not sure what to expect in the race tomorrow. "In the last couple of days it seems like I'm climbing out of my rut. Maybe I just had to take a little break," he said.

The plan is for him to head to France and take part in Paris-Nice this coming weekend where he will hope to ride himself back into form. Along with Fuglsang, Saxo Bank will start tomorrow with Matti Breschel, Gustav Larsson, Nicki Sørensen, Richie Porte, Andy Schleck and Chris Anker Sørensen.